a bunch of stuff you probably don't care about

I like potpourri. I can just spew out all the stuff I'm thinking. Some of it might be worthy of its own post. Most of it isn't. Some of it is interesting. Most of it's not. I'm taking blogging to a whole new level with this stuff. I know. I'm a trailblazer. Plus, potpourri's a good place to throw in a picture of my napping hubby. So sweet.

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Danny asked Dan what the rules are. Rules for what you might ask? Why, the family, of course. We don't have any rules posted in the house. Maybe we will now. Danny and Dan came up with these. I might have helped on a few.

1. We must wear clothes. (Danny likes to go commando sometimes.)
2. Give Daddy a hug every day.
3. Say amen after prayers.
4. Give Mommy a hug and a kiss every day.
5. We must love whisker pie.
6. Shoes have a place. There's a place for shoes. (You'd think that one was mine but you'd be wrong.)
7. No running around the house.
8. Tickle Daddy.
9. Tickle Mommy.
10. Tickle Cate.

There you go. Them's the rules for this house. They might need to be amended some day.

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This picture of Michelle and me was taken in the summer of 1993. Please excuse the wall of fire to my right. Sometimes that's what happens with pictures taken using old fashioned film. Here's the story.

I was at the gym last week. As I was plugging in my settings on the Stairmaster, the lady on the machine next to me started talking to me. She asked if I grew up in Orem. I told her no. She said I looked like someone she knew. I told her I grew up in Alabama so it probably wasn't me. Then she asked how long I've lived in Utah. I told her I moved here when I was 18. She asked if I ever worked at Storehouse (a grocery store). I told her I did for a while when I was in college. That was it. She recognized me from almost 20 years ago. I don't remember her at all. I do remember her dad though. He was the boss.

I said something about how I was glad she recognized me after so many years. Maybe my wrinkles and gray hair aren't as bad as I thought. I was kind of kidding (kind of not). She laughed and said, "Oh, you're just as tiny as ever."

What? Huh? Excuse me? I've been called lots of things in my life. Tiny is certainly not one of them. I was an eight pound baby and I've been getting less tiny every day since then.

After she said that I figured she didn't remember me at all and just thought I was Michelle.

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Grama Bama sent a package last week. She included lots of fun stuff to foster the kids' creativity. Glitter, stickers, glitter stickers, glue, glitter glue. Oh, joy! But the joke's on you, Grama Bama. I sent the glitter and glitter glue over to Aunt Judy's house. Nice try.

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The power went out at the gym on Wednesday night. I was really looking forward to a good workout. I didn't get it. It's too bad since I had made some chess squares earlier that afternoon and ate a piece and a half (maybe more). In case you're thinking of making some chess squares of your own (and I highly recommend it), I used a lemon cake mix instead of yellow. Oh, so yummy.

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The kids have matching antibiotics right now. How adorable. Cate squirts hers into her mouth all by herself like a medicine-taking champ. No problems. Danny has been a real twerp about it. I should have just asked the doctor to give him the shots instead. I'll remember for next time. I'm not hoping there's a next time any time soon but just in case.

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It seems that the grouchier Cate is, the sweeter Danny is. When she was sick sick sicko last weekend, he was nothing but happy and kind. He played in his room by himself plenty and wasn't extremely needy. I don't know why it's happening that way but I'm so very thankful indeed. Now she's feeling much better and Danny is sick. The tables have turned.

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Sometimes I'd rather have a day full of running around than a day of nothing planned. Those days with nothing are the ones where I stare at the ironing pile and feel guilty for not doing anything about getting it smaller.

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Speaking of ironing, sometimes I set out the shirts to be ironed (with the appropriate number of hangers on top) so that Dan will think that I had good intentions of getting it done when he comes home from work and sees it sitting on the dresser. He'll think I was so busy doing other housewife things that I just didn't have time to get to it. But he'll know I thought about it and really wanted to do it. With ironing, it's the thought that counts.

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Dan dug a lot of dirt from around and under an old tree root that's sticking out of the ground. The plan is to get rid of it since it's right under the swings in the back yard. I was not a happy camper when he brought me out to see it. All I pictured was kids falling into the hole and getting twisted ankles or worse. I'm sure the kids will love filling the hole with water and making mud pies though.

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I could never be vegan. I could never be one of those people who doesn't watch television either. How do they do it? I really don't get it.

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Danny asked to have Family Home Evening a few days ago. I asked him what the lesson should be about. He replied, "Ninjas." I got to wondering what an appropriate treat would be if the lesson was about ninjas. I could make some frosted sugar cookies in the shape of nunchucks. He's going to be disappointed tomorrow night when the lesson is about being obedient. What's a good treat for that one? Maybe chess squares.

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When I ask Cate what Dan's big name is (meaning his first, middle and last names) she says, "Power Olds." Dan's middle name is Howard.

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I'm now in the club with Dan. The one for parents who have cleaned up after their kids when they've removed their own diapers in their cribs. That's not a fun club to belong to. At least Cate uses the emergency puke bowl we keep in her bed as a chamber pot. That makes clean up a little easier. Oh, the joys of parenting. I had no idea.

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I heard Danny singing this little ditty, "Goooooo Cougars! Hey! Fight on you orange and blue!"

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Cate calls Chapstick cow lick.

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Cate calls Dan on her hand when he's at work. It goes a little something like this. "My call Daddy on mine hands. (hand to her ear) Hello. Daddy? Danny crying. Yeah. Bye." Then she smiles really big.

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I write notes to myself on index cards. Stuff I need at the store. Stuff I want to write in the kids' journals. Stuff I want to write on the blog. General stuff I just need to remember. I wrote a note to myself recently that says "Rectangle Noodle Tag." What on earth does that mean? I'm losing my mind.

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I was talking to Kris about his jiu jitsu class the other day. I asked him how they tell the teacher that they need to go to the bathroom. He told me that he says, "Sensei, I need to go potty." Then he said, "That means teacher, I need to go potty." Thanks for translating that, Kris.

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Danny calls grilled cheese sandwiches girl cheese sandwiches. He pronounces girl "guh-whirl" though so it's quite entertaining to hear him ask for a grilled cheese sandwich.

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City Slickers made me cry on Friday night. I had to leave the room so Dan wouldn't see my tears. Curly died. I liked him. "Scoop of chocolate. Scoop of vanilla. Don't waste my time." I was 17 when that movie came out. June 7, 1991. The day after I graduated from high school. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I've seen that movie in the past almost 20 years. I realized it's a lot different watching it as a 37-year-old though. I'm pretty much the age of those guys out riding the range. It's a lot more thought provoking than I remembered. Maybe I didn't have very many thoughts when I was younger. Who knows. It's a good movie.

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Want to see a picture of Fun with Kleenex?

That's the aftermath of the time Cate spent changing Big Baby's diaper the other day. Somehow she managed to reach the powder off the dresser in her bedroom. At least she's got mothering instincts, right?

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Speaking of motherhood, it's totally kicking my trash right now. It has been for a while. I feel like I'm losing big time. I tell you what. When I hear people telling me that it gets harder, just wait until they're teenagers, blah blah blah...I don't know. I'm darn near 38 years old. I'm an old lady. I have a four-year-old and a two-year-old and they are kicking my trash. To the curb. I don't know where I'm going with this. It's pure emotion. See? I have feelings. Sometimes I need to express them. There they are. Don't expect any more any time soon.

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Danny asked me to make him a mustard and ham sandwich today. He wanted it cut with the TIE fighter sandwich cutter (that's Darth Vader's ship...I think). As I was getting it ready, he stood beside me humming the Star Wars theme song with a big ol' grin on his face. I love that kid.

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I watched Julie & Julia on Friday night (right after City Slickers).Dan recorded it on the DVR for me. He's so thoughtful. He forgot that he already bought the DVD for me though. That's ok. I like that movie. It's the first one I saw at the movie theater all by myself. It makes me want to make beef bourguignon.

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Somebody please tell me that frozen chocolate covered bananas count as a fruit because that's the only thing from the fruit/vege category I've eaten all day. Except for those two stalks of celery. According to Uncle Tim, those are weeds so they might not count at all.

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What's that you say? You want to see another picture of my kidlets trying to hold hands and jump together to wrap up this boring list of stuff you don't care about? Okee dokee. Here you go.